Bright Eyes have released their cover of Thin Lizzy’s ‘Running Back’ as part of Secretly Canadian’s 25th anniversary charity campaign – check it out below.

Bright Eyes’ version of the 1976 hard rock track is a faithful reimagining, with Conor Oberst doing his best impression of late Thin Lizzy vocalist Phil Lynott.

Bright Eyes first aired the cover back in 2020 while appearing on US radio station SiriusXM but now it’s been given a proper release.

“Thin Lizzy is one of the finest rock n roll bands of all time,” Oberst said in a statement. “Phil Lynott’s vocal delivery and lyrics exemplify nonchalant cool. On top of that they gave the world a reason to invent the word guitarmonies. I think this is such a beautiful love song. It felt really good to sing.”

The track has been released as part of record label Secretly Canadian’s 25th anniversary charity campaign. Download it here and check it out below:

Speaking about the project, Secretly Canadian said: “It’s a weird year to come-of-age, but as with any good coming-of-age story, the end is really the beginning, right? The movie ends and the whole next phase of life begins. We find new ideas and new purpose.”

The project will raise funds for New Hope For Families, an organisation that “provides housing and other services to families experiencing homelessness in our hometown of Bloomington, Indiana. There are a reported 334 unhoused people in Bloomington, including 81 children and 34 families”.

“When faced with what to do with this milestone, we could’ve thrown a big party but after 13 months of an imploded social life, what else do you do but re-entrench? Drill down to the hyper-local where you can make meaningful change? Keep your eye aimed toward a better future,” the label continued.

Speaking to NME about the impact of Bright Eyes’ music, Oberst said he hopes it “makes people feel less alone”.

“I feel very lucky that our music has meant what it has to people,” he continued. “I used to say that I made this stuff for ourselves, but I don’t know if that’s true. I think of it a lot differently now. Now there’s more of a desire to share it with people, to make something that’s hopefully beneficial when they listen to it.”